Proper planting and caring for cucumber seedlings allows you to get high yields even in the northern regions.
Plants grown from good seedlings are less ill, have a strong root and above-ground system, they are pleased with early fruits.
Shoots: cultivation and care
Seed tanks with seeded cucumber seeds are covered with film or glass. Put in a room with a temperature of about + 25 ° C. Watered no more than once in 7-10 days. Water should be warm. Read more about seed preparation before sowing.
A week later, after the shoots had spiked and two cotyledon leaves appeared, they removed the protection, put the pots in the sunlight. When several plants appear in the glass, they leave the most viable. In order to avoid damage to the root system, weak shoots are cut and not pulled out.
Care for cucumber seedlings after germination
Further we describe in detail how to care for cucumber seedlings?
Temperature conditions
Cucumber Seedlings demanding on temperature.
The optimal mode: + 20-23 ° C during the day, + 16-19 ° C at night.
Lighting
Seedlings it takes a lot of lightbut she does not like direct sunlight. To avoid burns on the leaves, the light should be diffused.
With a lack of lighting, seedlings are strongly drawn up, pale. It is necessary to light up the fluorescent lamps, and better LED. Lighting devices are located at a height of 5-10 cm from the plants.
Additional light provide for 7-10 hours in the daytime, depending on the region, weather conditions.
Ventilation
Cucumber Seedlings does not tolerate crowding. The pots are placed at a distance from each other. Draft not allowed.
Watering
Cucumber Seedlings capricious regarding watering. Does not like overmoistening and drying. Watered moderately, warm (+ 23-25 ° C) distilled water.
When carrying out additional lighting 2 times a day, if there is only natural light, 1 time. Regularly sprayed.
In the bottom of the cups there must be holes so that the excess moisture does not stagnate.
The disease hurricane spreads to other plants, is not amenable to any means of protection. Non-affected seedlings for prophylaxis are treated with antifungal antifungal agents.
Top dressing
Seedlings are fed at least two times:
- The first feeding is carried out in 2-2.5 weeks after the emergence of sprouts. Observe important rule for cucumber seedlings - fertilizers are applied with morning watering on warm days, at the root. Fertilizers should not fall on the stem and leaves. Use fertilizer fertility, breadwinner. Support the seedlings with a solution of urea (teaspoon per liter of water), at the rate of one cup per plant. You can use diluted mullein in the ratio of 1: 8, or chicken droppings - 1:10.
- The second feeding is carried out when the second true leaf appears. Take a tablespoon of wood ash, one teaspoon of nitrophoska, three liters of water. Consumption, as with the first feeding, one cup per spine.
Recommend to carry out the procedure again, 2-3 days before planting in the garden.
Dry, raw yeast or black bread, rye crackers soaked in water. Received zhizhitsu contribute twice, simultaneously with the basic mineral compounds.
After the application of the yeast additive, cucumber seedlings begin to rapidly increase the green mass.
Dive
A pick (the first transplant) is needed to reduce the density of grown seedlings. The procedure is carried out when growing a large number of roots in seedling boxes, too small pots, overgrown. In order for cucumber seedlings to tolerate transplant well:
- Dive early, during the formation of 2-3 leaves.
- In rassadnye tanks in advance to sleep new, previously unused soil. Give the soil time to settle.
- The day before the procedure, seedlings and the soil in the prepared cups plenty of water.
- Make shallow holes.
- When growing seedlings, to prevent further stretching, pinch spine 1/3.
- Using a small scoop, tweezers carefully get a bush out of the ground together with soil lump.
- Placed in the hole. Sprinkled with earth to the first sub-seminal knee. The soil is slightly compacted.
- Sprayed several times with warm water.
- Few days carefully protect from drafts. Maintain high humidity.
With a properly performed transplant, the growth of lateral basal roots is activated, the risk of overgrowing decreases.
Topping
Pinching (pinching, clipping) make for overgrown bushes.
With a pair of scissors or fingers, the young shoots remove the tip above the growth point of the main stem, above the sixth leaf.
Pinching activates the tying of female flowers,root formation.
Watch a short video on how and when to pick cucumbers and why to do it:
Banding
Ringing cucumber seedlings spend for more branching adventitious roots, the formation of female-type flowers. Gardeners lovers rarely resort to this procedure. It is more justified for the commercial cultivation of seedlings of cucumbers.
For banding:
- Reduce watering, dry the soil.
- Wait until the plants lose foliage elasticity.
- Sterilized blade, scalpel make around the stem of a shallow incision in the form of a ring.
- Ringing is performed directly - twist the stem into the ring.
- Sprinkle soil to the seedbed leaves.
Hardening
Hardening cucumber seedlings start 7-10 days before moving to open ground or greenhouse. Reduce watering. The temperature in the room is reduced, compared with the usual daytime, by 5-7 °.
Then begin to expose in pritenennoe windless place in the open air.
Transplanting seedlings to a permanent place
For planting selected dark green squat bushes.If the leaves are five or more, then the seedlings are overgrown and require penetration.
The root system should be white, formed, to occupy the entire volume of the seedling cup. Ideal seedlings for planting in the soil has 3-4, in the greenhouse - 5-6 leaves.
Planting of cucumber seedlings in the open ground is carried out at a temperature of 21-23 ° C established during the day. At night, it should not fall below 18 ° C.
Cucumbers grow poorly in the same place. Good precursors for them are potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, greens, legumes.
The soil is chosen neutral acidity, light, fertile, with good air and moisture permeability. It is desirable that the land contained humus.
Potted seedling handling
Cucumber seedling is under great stress when transplanted. The most convenient way to transfer seedlings grown in peat pots to a permanent place. They are simply buried, without disturbing the plants. The paper, thin plastic cups cut the bottom, the walls, completely removing the soil clod.
If necessary, remove the plant from dense containers:
- Stop watering Cucumber seedlings 3-4 days before transplantation. The soil should dry out, stick to the roots.
- Owl crush the ground around the perimeter potty
- Smoothly pulling a bush for "ears" along with the land.
- Move the plant to the prepared well..
- Fall asleep to cotyledon leaves. Soil compacted.
- Mulch the soil around the stem.
Growing cucumbers in a seedling way is convenient and profitable. Caring for seedlings is not complicated, and guarantees for a rich harvest are increasing.
Useful materials
Check out other helpful cucumber seedlings articles:
- How to grow on the windowsill, balcony and even in the basement?
- Tips for growing in various containers, particularly in peat pots and tablets.
- Find out the planting dates depending on the region.
- The reasons why the leaves dry and turn yellow?
